1871 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

none March 2026 September 2023 1871 United States Senate election in Massachusetts presidential no 1865 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1865 1873 United States Senate special election in Massachusetts 1873 (special) January 17, 1871 x160px Majority vote of each house needed to win Senate Percentage House Percentage File:Henry Wilson, VP of the United States.jpg Henry Wilson Republican Party (US) 35 87.5% 188 84.3% File:John Quincy AdamsII.jpg John Quincy Adams II Democratic Party (US) 4 10.0% 32 14.35% Senator Henry Wilson Republican Party (United States) Henry Wilson Republican Party (United States) The 1871 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on January 17, 1871. Incumbent Republican Senator Henry Wilson was re-elected easily to a third term as a member of the Republican Party. Wilson would not finish the term, since he was elected Vice President of the United States in 1872. At the time, Massachusetts elected United States senators by a majority vote of each separate house of the Massachusetts General Court, the House and the Senate. Background At the time, the Massachusetts legislature was dominated the Republican Party, whose members held nearly every seat. Republican caucus On January 16, the Republican Party convened in a caucus to renominated Wilson for his third term. 1871 Republican Senate caucusRe-nomination of Senator Wilson by the Republican Caucus 17 Jan 1871 The Hartford Daily Courant 3Senator Wilson Renominated 17 Jan 1871 The Cincinnati Daily Enquirer 1 Henry Wilson (incumbent) Republican Party (US) 108 76.60% Henry L. Dawes Republican Party (US) 22 15.60% George S. Boutwell Republican Party (US) 11 7.80% 141 100.00% A caucus opposed to Wilson voted against a motion to nominate Wendell Phillips by 6 votes to 3. Election in the House On January 17, the House voted for Wilson's re-election and sent the vote to the Senate for ratification. 1871 U.S. Senate election in the HouseRe-election of Senator Wilson 18 Jan 1871 The Hartford Daily Courant 3 Henry Wilson (incumbent) Republican Party (US) 188 84.30% John Quincy Adams II Democratic Party (US) 32 14.35% Wendell Phillips Republican Party (US) 10 4.48% Henry L. Dawes Republican Party (US) 10 4.48% John Wells BrownThere is a possibility this vote was recorded incorrectly, and was actually cast for the abolitionist and writer William Wells Brown, a resident of Boston at the time. If so, Brown would be the first black man to receive a vote for U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. Unknown 1 0.45% 223 100.00% Election in the Senate On January 20, the State Senate convened and ratified Wilson's re-election by an overwhelming margin. 1871 U.S. Senate election in the Senate Henry Wilson (incumbent) Republican Party (US) 35 87.50% John Quincy Adams II Democratic Party (US) 4 10.00% Wendell Phillips Republican Party (US) 1 2.50% 40 100.00% References 1871 Massachusetts United States Senate Category:Henry Wilson